Perfection
by Flame Soldier
Summary: She had the perfect body, and the perfect voice. From the moment she spoke her name and occupation I knew that this perfect woman would make the perfect wife for I, Manfred von Karma. Manfred von Karma x OC
1. Chapter 1

Perfection

Chapter 1

It had been the perfect trial. It had a perfect witness, who gave a perfect testimony which I perfectly exploited to get a perfect guilty verdict.

I can hardly even begin to explain the perfection of the witness. Her testimony was flawless, of course that is expected considering I was the one who prepped her. She spoke clearly and concisely, which pleased me. Most female witnesses I deal with usually start blubbering rather unpleasantly on the stand.

Her voice was of the perfect timbre; not too high as to be annoying, but not too low as to be masculine. She had a perfect body; not fat, but not pencil thin either. She had perfect green eyes that contrasted with her beautiful brown hair.

From the moment she spoke her name and occupation -Adelina, Certified Public Accountant- I knew that this perfect woman would make the perfect wife for I, Manfred von Karma.

I am ashamed to say however, what happened after that was far from perfect.

--

During the trial, while the judge had been prattling on about some such nonsense, it occurred to me that I could not just walk up to this woman and get married to her on the spot. Not that she wouldn't be delighted to be married to me; after all it would be quite an honor for any woman to be married to me.

No, I was more worried of the small tiny almost nonexistent fact that I might be wrong. What if she wasn't perfect, like I thought she was? I couldn't simply be stuck with an imperfect woman for the rest of my life, and it would be unseemly for me to get a divorce.

As the defense attorney began his cross examination, I considered my next course of action. There was a certain process to go through, wasn't there? Yes, I would go out on some so-called "dates" with her. If she did not prove satisfactory, I could simply "dump" her. If I was right, and she was a perfect woman, we would then "go steady" or whatever they call it. After that we would get married. I nodded to myself; it was the perfect plan.

I noticed that the defense attorney was trying to trip up the witness.

"If the person you say was wearing a hat and sunglasses, how could you be so sure it was him?"

She was about to answer when I cut her off. "Did you miss the part of the witness's testimony where she stated, quite clearly, that the defendant took off his glasses to read something? Furthermore, the hat and glasses she mentioned were found in the defendant's apartment!"

"Anyone could have a hat just like that! It's just a baseball cap!" the defense attorney argued.

"Oh? And how many people have hats covered with the victim's blood?"

The judge frowned. "There was blood on the hat?"

"The prosecution submits the defendant's hat as evidence, your honor." I took out the evidence bag containing the blood stained hat.

"Evidence accepted," the judge replied.

I stood with my arms folded as the defense attorney floundered and asked meaningless questions. Eventually the judge pounded his gavel.

"That's enough! This court sees no reason to further prolong this trial. Nor is there any need for more time to decide the case against the defendant. This court finds the defendant, Seth Vitcko guilty. This is all! Court is adjourned!"

I smiled triumphantly. Another guilty verdict for my perfect record. I collected my things and followed the witness over to the elevator.

"Excuse me," I said, causing Adelina to turn around. "I am offering you the honor of going on a date with me."

"You must be a foolish fool to think that I would be foolish enough to go out with a foolish man like you!"

**A/N Yep, Franziska picked up her way of speaking from her mother. I know Manfred describes Adelina as perfect, but she's not a Mary-Sue (or at least, I hope not.) I had to describe her as perfect, because lets face it; a von Karma expects perfection in all things. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I stared after her and blink. What went wrong? How could she not want to go on a date with _me_? I am Manfred von Karma! I frowned as I felt some sort of feeling in my stomach. Something I have never felt before. What was it? Disappointment? Dejection? I pondered that for awhile, before shrugging and going on my way. Why should I care about some woman? It was her loss, not mine.

It still bothered me however. I frowned again. "Bah, what's the matter with me?" My mind still wandered back to her rejecting me. What had I done wrong? Perhaps it was the way I asked her. After all, I have had no experience in this sort of thing. I ponder what I should do. I would need to study this whole romance thing. But how to do that?

Later that night, I had returned to my home with an armful of movies from the romance section. I sat on my couch and took notes. Apparently women are absolute idiots. A few nice words and a bouquet of flowers and they were ready to jump in bed with a man. How disgraceful. It would be easy enough to duplicate...

I continued taking notes even though the movies are sickening. Were other people really this... cheesy? Did I really want a woman that would fall for such foolish words? Shrugging, I decide that it's worth a shot.

The next day, it was raining lightly, but I didn't care. Weather didn't affect me. I arrived at the prosecutor's office. People were surprised to see me; it was my day off after all. I nodded towards any greetings thrown my way, but didn't stop for small talk. I wasn't here for work after all. I turned on the computer at my desk and searched through my list of witnesses. Finding Adelina's name, I took down her address.

I arrived on her porch with a bouquet of roses in one arm and a box of chocolates in the other. Ringing the doorbell, I stood back, waiting for her to answer.

She opened the door and frowned. "You must be a foolish fool to come here."

"I have come to apologize," I replied. "I admit, I may have acted... Presumptuous yesterday... Um... These are for you." I gave her the chocolate and the flowers and she stared at me. "Er... May I come in?"

"No," she replied, closing the door in my face. I stood there and stared at the closed door. So much for sitting through all those ridiculous movies. What a waste of my time! I grunted in frustration and turned to leave, but in doing so, I slipped on a puddle of water. I cried out in shock as I hit the ground.

Adelina opened the door again after hearing my shout. "Are you alright?"

"Nothing's broken," I replied, standing up again. I could feel myself flushing. What a fool I have made of myself!

She looked at me nervously. "Why don't you come in?"

I blinked, a bit surprised. Why the change of heart? "Alright..."

I followed her into her home, which was neat and well decorated. She sat me down in the kitchen, and poured me a glass of wine.

"Alright," she replied. "What will it take for you not to sue me?"

I blinked in surprise again.

"Don't look surprised," she replied firmly. "I know all about you lawyer types. You ambulance chasers."

I tipped my head in surprise. Part of me wanted to tell her that I only took cases from the Police Department. The other part of me wanted to take advantage of the situation at hand. The latter part won out. "How about you go on a date with me? There is a Police Ball tonight, a very formal affair." Normally I wouldn't go to such things, but on those movies I had suffered through, balls seemed to be popular events for couples.

She sighed and muttered something about being a fool. "Fine. Pick me up at seven, Mr..." she trailed off.

"Von Karma," I supplied. "My name is Manfred von Karma. And I will be here promptly at seven." Standing up, I gulped down the rest of my wine and bowed to her. I smiled to myself, pleased that she had agreed to be my date.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**A/N Thanks for the reviews!**

I stepped into the jewelry store and stared around at the dozens of cases filled with expensive shiny things. I gazed around, trying to locate something which would be suitable for Adelina. Perhaps something emerald; it would match her eyes. Glancing down at one of the price tags, I noticed that the price would be considered high for most people. My salary was rather high, however, considering I always get a guilty verdict.

"May I help you sir?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I'm looking for a suitable gift for my date... Something with emeralds..."

"Ah, we have plenty of beautiful pieces with emeralds... If you'd just follow me..."

After returning home from the jewelry store, I began preparing myself for the ball. I picked out my fanciest court outfit, which was black instead of the usual blue. I spent time polishing the brass buttons and cuff links until they shone to perfection.

After my shower, I began styling my hair. I was very particular with my hairstyle. I wore it the same day every day and had been doing so for years. I stood in front of my full length mirror and ran a brush through my blue locks. Brushing my hair back as usual, I stared at my reflection and smiled. I was just as handsome as ever. Getting dressed and donning my cravat, I glanced at the clock. There was just enough time for me to memorize the notes I had taken.

I paid extra attention to the section I labeled "Pick Up Lines." These seemed to be very effective in the movies, so I decided to greet Adelina with one.

At precisely six fifty nine I pulled my car up in front of her house. At exactly seven, I knocked on her door. Adelina opened it a moment later. She wore a beautiful emerald dress which matched her eyes perfectly. It was strapless, and hit her in all the right places. Her brown hair flowed down to just below her shoulders.

I bowed to her. "Tell me, my dear. Did it hurt?"

She blinked. "Did what hurt?"

"Did it hurt to fall from heaven, my angel?"

Adelina smiled and looked like she was trying to hold back a laugh. "Did you get that from one of those romance movies or something?"

I found myself blushing, and didn't answer. Instead, I held out to her a jewelry box. "A gift."

She took the box and opened it. "Mr. von Karma..."

"Call me Manfred."

"This must have been incredibly expensive..." Adelina lifted the gold bracelet which was inlaid with emeralds.

"Do you like it?" I asked, taking it and fastening it onto her wrist.

She lifted her wrist and stared at the bracelet which was sparkling in the light flooding from her house. "It's beautiful..."

I smiled. It seemed that at least those movies got one thing right; women love sparkly things. I bowed to her again. "Now, shall we get going?" I offered her my arm, which she took. I lead her to my car and opened the passenger side door for her. I then entered the drivers side and drove towards the hall that the police force had rented for the occasion.

I offered her my arm again, and we entered the fancy looking hall. We turned heads as we walked in; people were surprised that I had showed up at all, never mind with a date.

"Good evening, sir," a detective greeted me.

"Ah, Detective Gumshoe. How do you do?" I asked, nodding towards the detective. Out of all the detectives, I was the most found of Detective Gumshoe. He was the most serious of the detectives and a very competent investigator, almost never overlooking a clue.

"I'm doing fine... Great in fact... I've just proposed to my girlfriend." He smiled. "I hope you'll come to the wedding, sir."

"I'd be glad to," I replied, bowing to him.

"Manny!" I heard a voice exclaim. I winced, instantly recognizing the voice.

"Manny?" Adelina giggled.

Gritting my teeth, I turned towards the man in the vibrant orange suit. "Good evening, Detective Gant." Detective Gant was easily the most irritating man on the force. Unfortunately, he was also the most gifted investigator, meaning I was forced to work with him often. He was my age and had been a detective as long as I had been a prosecutor.

"Ah, Manny, who's this lovely woman with you?" Gant took Adelina's hand and kissed it. She blushed slightly. "Tell me, do you have any plans for after the ball, dear?"

"She's my _date_," I snapped, glaring daggers at him. I suddenly felt a flash of self consciousness. Was Gant handsomer than I? Would Adelina prefer him to me?

"Oooh! Manny has a girlfriend!" Gant clapped his hands in his usual irritating manner. He grinned at me. "So tell me, have you been swimming lately?"

"No," I replied. "It's late fall. No one goes swimming in the fall... And what is your obsession with swimming?"

He shrugged. "I like swimming... Say," he put one arm around Adelina's shoulders, the other around mine. "Why don't we go swimming on Saturday? The three of us; it'll be fun!"

I was about to refuse, like I did on a daily basis, but I glanced at Adelina, wondering what she would look like in a bathing suit. "I think I'd enjoy that, how about you Adelina?"

She looked like she might refuse. After a hesitation, she replied, "I'll think about it."

"Great!" Gant exclaimed, clapping. "I'll see you at the beach at ten!" He walked off, presumably to annoy someone else.

"What an interesting man," Adelina mused.

I snorted. "Interesting in one way to describe him."

A new song started to play. It was some sort of disco song. Since when was disco played at a ball?

"This is one of my favorite songs! Let's dance!" she pulled me onto the dance floor.

"Er... I... I don't know how to disco," I admitted.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't? It's all the rage... Here, I'll teach you."

It didn't take me long to get discoing down. In fact I was discoing before the song was even over. But then I realized that the song was apparently never going to be over. After a seemingly endless amount of time, the song finally ended.

"You're pretty good at that," Adelina said, smiling at me.

"Thanks... You too... Would you like some punch?" She nodded, and I made my way to the punch table. I ladled out two cups of punch. It smelled vaguely of alcohol, whether by design or by some tampering, I did not know. I returned to Adelina and handed her a cup.

"Thanks." She drank it down thirstily.

I took slightly longer finishing my punch. By then, a slower song was playing. Finally, something I knew how to dance to... "Would you like to dance?"

She nodded, and I placed my hands on her hips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and we began to dance.

"You know," she started. "I may have misjudged you."

"Oh?" I questioned, pulling her a bit closer.

"Yes" she replied. "You're not so bad after all."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," she replied. She pressed herself closer to me and I felt my spine tingle as he body touched mine.

"You look beautiful tonight."

"I know." My eyes met hers and a moment later, her lips met mine.

**A/N Yep, this story takes place in the 80's. Manfred would be in his early thirties. I couldn't resist adding Gant in, or a cameo from Gumshoe's father. (I figure being a cop runs in the family.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N Thanks for reading!**

"Mind if I cut in, Manny?"

I found myself gently pushed away from Adelina by Gant. "Yes," I snapped. "I would mind."

But my ire fell on deaf ears as Gant put his hands on Adelina's waist. I waited for her to object, but she did not.

"Why don't you just go and get yourself some punch?" Gant asked. "I'll take care of Adelina."

I glowered at him, but he didn't seem to notice. There wasn't much that I could do without causing a scene, so I left to get some punch. I returned soon after and sipping my punch, I listened in on their conversation.

"You've fallen for Manny awfully fast, it seems," Gant commented.

"Oh, that? Honestly, I'm just trying to to get sued," Adelina replied.

"I'm pretty sure Manny can't sue you for being a bad date."

"No, it's not that... He fell on my property. I'm sure you know how those lawyers are... Ambulance chasers, all of them." She shrugged. "I figure that if I give him what he wants, he'll forget all about me. He is a man after all."

My eyes narrowed. So that's what she was doing? She was playing along with me in the hopes that I'd go away. A flash of anger mixed with disappointment made me frown.

"Don't you think it's kind of... wrong to manipulate his feelings like that?" Gant asked. "He seems to like you... Well... As much as Manny can like anybody."

Adelina shrugged. "I never wanted to go out with him in the first place."

"Fair enough," he replied. "So... Does that mean you don't have any plans for after the ball?"

I turned and marched away, not wanting to hear any more of their conversation. I glowered at anyone who looked like they might talk to me, quickly changing their minds. I poured myself a large helping of the alcoholic punch and took a big gulp, considering what to do. I could just never see her again, but I decided that that would be like losing. And a von Karma _never_ loses. I set down my cup and folded my arms; something I often did when annoyed.

In court when a witness wasn't cooperative, what did I do? I thought for a moment before nodding. I would manipulate them to say exactly what I wanted. But how could I do that for Adelina? I couldn't hold the threat of suing her over her forever. The statute of limitations would run out eventually...

So I would have to manipulate her in other ways... I grasped the sleeve of my jacket as I thought. I couldn't make it too obvious I was manipulating her; she would figure it out. That closed some of the options for me.

Then there was Gant. The orange clad fool would probably get in my way. He always hated it when I had something he didn't. He also had more experience with women than I. What was worse is that Adelina seemed to be attracted to him. I frowned at the strange emotion I was feeling. Was that... jealousy? How could I be jealous of that swimming-obsessed man?

I glanced over at Adelina and Gant as they danced. I glared daggers at him, but he just grinned back foolishly. Why the heck was he dancing with MY date? Wasn't there anyone else he could dance with?

No, Gant just found an endless amount of amusement by annoying me. I stalked up to the pair. "Mind if I cut in?" I asked coolly.

"Not at all!" Gant said, letting go of Adelina. He grabbed my arms. "Let's cut a rug!"

I pulled away from Gant. "No... Let's not."

"Aw, you're no fun, Manny."

I glowered at him as Adelina began giggling. I silently cursed Gant for making me look foolish. Trying to retain some dignity, I bowed towards her. "Would you care for another dance?"

She shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

I placed my hands on her hips and we began to dance again, although this time not as close as before. We were silent for a while until I spoke. "I overheard you conversation with Gant."

"I see." She didn't look apologetic and I frowned. I would've thought she would feel a bit guilty at least. It looks like I couldn't manipulate her guilt. What could I do? Make her pity me? My eyes hardened at the thought. No, I would never show a weakness like that.

"I didn't think you would be the type of person who would eavesdrop, Mr. von Karma."

"I didn't think you would be the type of person who would play with a man's emotions," I quipped back.

"Please, I've seen you in court. You have no emotions," Adelina replied.

"You know, you should have been honored to have me ask you out," I stated calmly as if I were presenting evidence. "I only accept things that are perfect."

"I am not a thing!" she spat. "And you barely know me! What were you going to do if I wasn't as perfect as you thought? Dump me for having flaws? For being human?"

"Yes," I replied truthfully.

"Bastard," she hissed. I winced as she suddenly reached up and slapped me in the face.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yes, it was."

I frowned at her. "I don't see why you're so upset. I asked you out; I thought you were perfect."

"No, you assumed I was perfect. You assumed that I would just leap into your arms. And when I didn't you tried again, this time trying to blackmail me." She glared at me.

"I wasn't planning on it," I replied. "I wouldn't have thought of it except you brought it up. I just wanted..." I let myself trail of to see if she would react with curiosity.

"Wanted what?"

"I just wanted to go on a date with you," I said smoothly. "Is that really so bad?"

Adelina looked away from me. "No... I guess it's not."

I began to press my advantage, like I would have if I were in court. "And of course, it wouldn't be so bad if I was seeking a second date, would it?"

"Don't push it," she replied.

"I wouldn't dream of it," I replied calmly.

I glanced around and spotted a young man adding some more alcohol to the punch. Ah, that would be one way for me to fix this... I waited for him to leave before looking towards Adelina again. "You look thirsty. Would you like some more punch?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N Thanks again for the reviews! Sorry this took me so long.  
**

I poured Adelina a large cup of the punch and was about to hand it to her when I heard that annoying voice again.

"Don't mind if I do, Manny!" Gant exclaimed, taking the cup. He gazed at me for a moment with one of his piercing stares. That stare told me that he knew exactly what I was up to. His countenance changed a second or so after back to his normal goofy self.

Sighing in annoyance, I poured another cup of punch, only to have him drink that too. A few more cups later, I had an encounter with something I've never wanted to see...

A very drunk Damon Gant.

Gant put an arm around my shoulder. "You want to know a secret?"

"No," I replied scornfully, pushing him away.

He put his arm around my shoulder again. "When I was a little boy... I wanted to be..." he leaned closer and whispered into my ear. "Aquaman!"

"Leave," I commanded tersely. "Now." I had little patience to deal with Gant when he was sober, never mind when he was drunk.

"But Manny!" he whined. "We were having such a good time!"

Adelina giggled, and Gant turned his attention to her. He bowed to her. "And how are you doing, my little princess? How about I sweep you off your feet, and later we can-"

I cleared my throat loudly at this point. Gant glanced at me once, then opened his mouth to continue. I decided it was pertinent for me to interrupt this foolishness. "Look, Damon... That Aquaman character is over there signing autographs."

Gant grinned. "Really! Wow!" He turned and winked at Adelina. "Until next time, princess." He dashed off towards a very unfortunate Detective Gumshoe.

I sighed in relief glad to get that pain away from me. "So... How about some punch."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Do you take me for an idiot, Mr. von Karma?"

"No..." I furrowed my brow, annoyed that my scheme had failed, thanks to that meddlesome Gant. I decided to go back to flattery. "Far from it really."

Adelina rolled her eyes. "Right." She glanced at the clock on the wall as if to see how much more time she had to endure. "You know, you should really try acting more like Mr. Gant."

My eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment, but I regained my composure instantly. Act more like Gant? Why would I possibly want to act like that fool? "Gant? Why?"

"He's much more cordial," Adelina replied with a nod. "And _doesn't_ try to get me drunk."

I frowned for a moment. Why wasn't anything working on this woman? She wasn't behaving like a witness would at all... Of course we're not in court, but still... I should be perfect in all things, my personal life included! "I'm sorry," I replied, I forced the apologetic tone perfectly- I wasn't sorry at all of course. "I should have treated you with more respect..."

"Yes, you should have," she replied tersely. She fiddled with the bracelet I had given her. "A question, Mr. von Karma."

"Yes?"

"Why did you think that I was so perfect?"

I blinked. I had never really been asked to explain anything like this before. I took a moment to think before replying. "Well, you're beautiful for one... And smart... And you were brilliant on the witness stand."

She looked vaguely amused at my last point. "Oh really?"

I nodded. "Of course. The moment you walked into my office, I knew you'd be the perfect witness... You spoke clearly, and you didn't break down when the defense attorney pressed you... You were probably the best witness I've had by far."

Adelina smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome... Would you like to dance again?" I offered her my hand.

She hesitated a moment before taking it. "Sure..."

I pulled her close and we began to dance once again.

"You seem to really love your job," she commented.

"I do," I replied. "There's nothing better than getting a guilty verdict in court."

"What if the person wasn't guilty?"

"If they weren't guilty, I wouldn't take the case." It was a lie of course. I took every case I was offered and proved the client guilty, no matter what. It wasn't up to me to decide their guilt; if the police said they were guilty, then they were guilty.

"You were wrong, Manny. That was Gumshoe, not Aquaman." Gant had come back with another glass of punch. At the moment, he wasn't looking so great. In fact, he was swaying on his feet.

"Mr. Gant!" Adelina exclaimed. "You should sit down..." She pulled away from me and lead him away towards a chair.

I sighed in annoyance. How was it that Gant always got in my way?

Adelina made her way over to me again. "You should take him home, Manfred. He's in no condition to drive himself."

I took note of the fact that she called me by my first name. I decided that now would be a good time to look like a kind caring man... "Of course, I wouldn't want my friend to get hurt, now would I?" In fact, I very much would indeed, but she didn't need to know that. "Come with me, we'll get him home right away..." I gave her my arm and she took it. I made my way over to Gant and prodded him to his feet. "Come on, Gant. I'm taking you home."

"To the Aquamobile!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

Not caring if there was in fact an Aquamobile, I followed him out to the parking lot.


	6. Chapter 6

**Perfection Chapter Six**

I winced as Gant began singing some song painfully off-key. I shot a glare at him which he took no notice to. Adelina looked faintly amused at my discomfort. "Do you mind?" I snapped at him. "I'm trying to drive!"

"Sorry, Manny," Gant replied. That only kept him quiet for a few moments however. "Want to play the license plate game?"

"No. I'm driving." I glared back at him with a glare that I usually reserved for stubborn witnesses.

Gant frowned. "You really should lighten up a little, Manny..."

Rolling my eyes, I made no reply. Instead, I turned my attention to Adelina, who was staring out the car window. "Did you have a good time, my dear?"

"Mmm?" She turned her eyes toward me, and hesitated a moment, as if contemplating what to say. "Yes," she admitted. "I did."

I smiled slightly as I pulled into Gant's driveway. "I am glad to hear it..." I glanced back at Gant, who was sleeping in the back seat. "Ah, that explains his uncharacteristic silence... Gant! Get up!" I frowned as the man didn't move. Sighing in annoyance, I unbuckled so I could turn around and shake Gant. "Wake up!"

"Ngh... Later."

"No, now." I crossed my arms and gave him the icy glare I reserved for defendants in court.

He squirmed a bit, then pushed himself up. "Ugh... I don't feel so great..."

"Go inside and rest," I said.

"Alright..." Gant turned towards Adelina. "Good night, my princess... Will you go swimming with me and Manny on Saturday?"

Adelina blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Sure, Mr. Gant... And good night."

"Night Manny! See you on Saturday!" He burst out of the car in a sudden renewal of energy. I watched as he marched to his house, singing robustly.

I snorted and rolled my eyes before buckling up and pulling out of his driveway. My eyes scanned the streets as I searched for the right one to turn on. Frowning, I realized that none of these streets looked familiar. I hadn't been to Gant's neighborhood that often, and was not familiar with the territory. Inwardly, I panicked as I realized that I was lost.

"Mmm? What's wrong?" Adelina asked, obviously noticing my distress.

"Nothing," I assured her. I couldn't admit to her that I was lost. I had never gotten lost before... My eyes desperately searched for Main Street. Curse that Gant! I had perfectly planned my return route, and then he had to go and get drunk to ruin everything! He had planned this somehow. I knew it. If I hadn't had to bring him home, I wouldn't be looking like such a fool!

"You just missed the turn, Mr. von Karma."

My foot slammed on the break harder than I would have liked, causing both of us to be thrown against our seat belts. An involuntary blush crawled across my face. "My apologies... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mr. von Karma." I could tell that she was stifling a smile, seeming amused at my discomfort.

To my dismay, my blush deepened as I turned the car around and took the turn that I had foolishly missed. I mentally cursed myself for showing such weakness... If I was in court, the defense attorney would have jumped all over me by now. To my relief, I had regained my bearings and within minutes, arrived at Adelina's house.

Getting out of the car, I made my way over to her side of the car and opened the door for her. She took my offered hand, and I escorted her to her door.

"Goodnight, my dear," I said, bringing her hand to my lips and kissing it.

"Goodnight, Manfred... I... I guess I'll be seeing you again soon."

I found myself smiling. "I am glad." I gave her a bow and watched as she went into her house. My heart fluttered as I returned to my car. It was an odd feeling, I decided. It reminded my of my first guilty verdict... Whatever it was, I decided that it was a good sign. A very good sign indeed.

It occurred to me suddenly that I had Gant to thank for enabling me to see her a second time. My eyes narrowed at that thought. When had Gant ever done something good for me? It must be a coincidence, surely...

I would have to keep an eye on him. He must have something planned...

**A/N I haven't updated this in sooo long, I'm sorry! I'll try too keep up on this!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Perfection Chapter 7**

I stood in court, my arms crossed, listening as the defense attorney- whose name I had not bothered to learn- floundered. I had much better things to do on a Friday afternoon...

"Witness, are you absolutely sure that the only people to pass by you were the victim and the defendant?"

"Yes," he replied, just as I had told him too. "The victim passed by me into the alleyway, and a few minutes later so did the defendant."

"What about before that?"

The witness hesitated, making me scowl. "I had only been there a few seconds before the victim showed up, so I don't know..."

The fool! I told him not to mention how long he had been there! My hand clenched and unclenched on my sleeve in irritation as I waited for the defense attorney to make his pathetic point.

"Your honor, the defense would like to assert the possibility that there was another person in that alleyway. They were the real killer! My client just happened to stumble upon the body!"

"Hmm... Well yes, the possibility exists, I suppose..." I could see him reaching his gavel and too my horror I realized that he might extend the trial to another day. Usually that wouldn't be a problem- it would simply give me more time to perfect my case- but tomorrow was the day when I would finally win over Adelina!

"Objection!" I shouted, inwardly cursing myself for not having a perfectly prepared argument prepared for this. I should have expected this to happen... No matter, I would be able to come up with something. "Your honor, I see no reason to investigate this further! There's no evidence that there was another person in that alleyway. With no witnesses, that would be impossible to prove! Furthermore, it was a dead-end. Anyone in the alleyway would have been seen by the witness when he went to investigate."

"The real murderer could have been hiding!" the defense attorney argued. "There was a large dumpster on the scene, he could have easily hidden in there!"

"Then how do you explain the scream the witness heard?" I asked. "It was a woman's scream. And let me remind you that the victim is a woman and the defendant a man!"

"The defendant also recalls hearing the scream," he shot back. "The defense asserts that it was the murderer that screamed to frame the defendant!"

"Where's your evidence? In a court of law you need evidence, not conjecture!"

"I believe that an examination of the dumpster would provide all the evidence we need!"

My scowl deepened and to my dismay I saw the judge reach once again for his gavel. It seemed I only had one choice left... I had only done this once before, but I would have to risk it- I wasn't about to let some to-bit defense attorney destroy my perfect chain of logic and my plans for Saturday. "Your honor, the prosecutor would like to submit a a piece of evidence to the court. A Piece of decisive evidence."

"Why was this not presented to the court before, Mr. von Karma?" the judge asked.

"Because I did not believe it was necessary until now," I replied crossing my arms.

"Very well... Present your evidence to the court."

I presented the evidence to the court- the forged evidence. It ended the trial almost immediately; with a guilty verdict of course. It didn't bother my that I used forged evidence as much as it bothered me that using it was necessary. I should have been able to finish it in one day without it. I went to bed that night cursing my imperfection.

The next morning, I as awakened by a loud knock on my door. I looked over at the clock and grumbled. Who was waking me up at six am? Before I even got to the door, I was certain of the answer to that question.

"Manny!" Gant exclaimed, inviting himself in. He was wearing an orange t-shirt and orange shorts... Did the man wear anything else besides orange? "Are you ready to go?"

"Of course not!" I snapped. "It's early in the morning. I will not allow you to go and wake up a woman at this hour!" Not to mention that I wasn't even dressed yet. What was the fool thinking? Then again, it was Gant. He probably wasn't thinking at all.

Gant stared at me a moment, his face serious. hen he lit up and clapped his hands. "Too late for that, Manny!" He stepped aside, allowing Adelina to step into the room.

My first thought was that she looked awfully awake for such an early hour in the morning. My second thought was about how I was standing there in my pajamas in front of her. I cleared my throat self-consciously. "I wasn't expecting you until ten."

The detective shrugged. "I got bored of waiting."

I decided not to press on why he was tired of waiting when he probably just got up. "Still, it's not proper to awake people at this hour... Adelina, I hope you'll excuse my friend's horrible lack of manners."

"It's fine, Manfred," Adelina replied. "I was already awake when Damon showed up around five."

Five? So she had been with Gant for an hour? I took note of how she used his first name as well. Damn it Gant, what were you up to? "I see... Well, if you'll excuse me, I must get prepared for the day." I gave a slight bow before retreating to my room. If he had waited an hour longer, I would have been perfectly prepared... I instinctively reached for one of my suits when I remembered that we were going to the beach. I would have to dress... Casual. It wasn't something I did often. It felt odd for me not wearing a cravat, never mind a suit. I wore a blue t-shirt, khaki pants and sandals. I of course packed my bathing suit- another thing which I didn't use often- and a towel. I quickly brushed my hair until it was perfectly tangle free.

When I reemerged from my room, I found that Gant was talking to Adelina. "And that's how I solved the Multa Case."

"You're a wonderful detective, Damon," Adelina replied. "How long have you been on the force?"

"Oh, its been about five years now," he replied, playing with his hair. He spotted me and grinned. "Manny! I see you're ready! Let's go! We can get there before the beach gets crowded!"

He marched out of my house, Adelina in tow. I followed after him, annoyed about how little I had been able to speak to Adelina. She was supposed to be my date, not his! I was even more annoyed as I found myself shoved in the back seat with all of Gant's beach gear.

"Is all this really necessary?" I asked, shoving a beach ball away from my head.

"Of course it is, Manny!" Gant exclaimed. "Don't you want to have fun?"

I wanted to reply that my version of fun and his were completely different, but as I glanced at Adelina, I decided that I would curb my tongue. "Of course... Let's get going, shall we?"

The detective grinned. "Yes, let's go!" He stepped on the gas pedal and drove off at a speed which was no doubt breaking the speed limit.

* * *

**a/n Another slow update, sorry. Manfred von Karma has got to be the hardest character I have ever had to write for... At the moment, I'm debating Gant's role for this story. Should he take a semi-major role, or not? I was thinking of making a semi love triangle, but I'm not sure... What do you think, lovely reviewers?**


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